Cooling device



Aug. 1, 1933. A. GONZALEZ ERAL 1,920,356

COOLING DEVICE I Filed July 11, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 sau z ii B i My 29 M v $0 X 6.91 ATTORNEYS.

A 1, 1933- A. GONZALEZ" Er AL ,9 856 COOLING DEVICE Filed July 11, 1932 ZSheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES 4mm lgVENT RS Jeve gfggzez Ma 6o- ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 1, 1933 UNITED STATES COOLING DEVICE Arturo Gonzalez and Jos M. Gonzalez,

- Cuba Habana l Application July 11, 1932. Serial No. 621,990

6 Claims.

An object of the invention is to provide means for reducing the temperature of flexible caps or bags used in clinics or hospitals while preserving the flexibility of the caps or bags so that they may be used in place of the customary ice bag.

The flexibility of the cap or bag permits of its use to advantage on any part of the human body.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chest having drawers in which the caps or bags may be disposed, the chest having adjacent the drawers coils for circulating a refrigerating agent, the chest containing the drawers being normally closed by a door.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flexible cap or bag having a hollow body, in which is disposed a fluid which freezes at a comparatively low temperature.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the following specification and in the drawings, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the chest with the drawers open;

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating one of the drawers;

Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the chest; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3."

The ice bags which are used in hospitals are filled with ice, which gives the outer surface of thebag a low temperature, but the ice contained in the bag makes it impossible in many cases for the bag to be shaped to conform to the configuration of the part of the body which is to be treated. This difliculty is overcome with thecap or bag which is the subject matter of this application and which will shortly be described, for the cap or bag is filled with a fluid which solidifies at a low temperature, the temperature of the outer surface of the cap or bag being reduced by reducing the temperature of the fluid in the cap or bag. It will, therefore, be possible to bend or curve the cap or bag around any desired portion of the human body to meet any requirements in the course of treatment. A device is provided for reducing the temperature of the fluid in the cap or bag.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that a chest 5 is provided having a top 6, a bottom 7, a rear 8 and sides 9, the said top, bottom, rear and sides being insulated, as best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. The chest also has a front 10 with two openings ,11 and 12, there being disposed back of each of the said openings a plurality of horizontally disposed frames 13 which are disposed one above another, as best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. Each of the said frames 13 has a central opening 14, there being flanges 15 and 16 extending inwardly from the sides of the frames 13, as will best be seen by referring to Figure 4 of the drawings. The frames 13 have laterally extending supporting members 17 which are secured to the inner sides of the chest. The said supporting members 17 are at the rear of the frames 13, there being similar laterally extending supporting members 18 for the frames 13 at the front of the frames, the said supporting members 18 also being secured to the chest.

Through the rear of the chest, there are two apertures 19 and 20, a pipe 21 extending through the aperture 19, the pipe passing through an aperture 22 in the upper frame 13, the pipe being coiled in said frame between the flanges 15 and 16 and with the coil resting on the flanges 16. The pipe extends from the said coil, which is referred to in the drawings as 23, to the next lower frame 13, where the frame extends through a similar aperture in the said next lower frame and being coiled in the manner described within the last mentioned frame and resting on the lower flanges 16. In the same way, the pipe extends and is disposed between the flanges 15 and 16 of each frame 13 with each coil resting on one of the said flanges 16. As has been stated, there are two openings 11 and 12 in the front of the chest 5, there being a series of frames 13 disposed in the chest at the rear of the upper opening 11, with another series of frames 13 disposed in the chest. at the rear of the lower opening 12, the pipe 21 extending from the lowermost frame 13 of the upper series of frames to the uppermost frame 13 of the lower series of frames, as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the pipe 21' extending from the coil 23 in the bottom frame in the lower series of frames upwardly, as shown at 24 with its terminal 25 extending out through the aperture 20.

With the frames 13 spaced apart as has been described and with the coils 23 disposed on the lower flanges 16 of the frames, air currents may pass through the central openings of the frames around the coils 23, the air currents being also free to pass through the drawers 26 which slide on the upper flanges 15 of the frames 13 respectively, the drawers 26 being positioned for removal through the openings 11 and 12 when the doors 2'! are open, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. Each of these drawers is constructed, as best illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, with side members 28, a front member 29 connecting the side members and a rear member 30 being also provided for connecting the side members. As will be seen by referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the side members 28 are very much lower than the front member 20 and the rear member 30, so that the openings at the sides of the drawers will permit air currents to pass laterally across the top of a screen member 31 which is supported on the side members 28 and on cross rods 32 which connect the said side members; therefore, it will be seen that air currents may pass not only across articles disposed on the screen member 31 but also through the screen member under the influence of the lowered temperature at the coils 23 which is affected by passing a refrigerating agent through the pipe 21. Each of the drawers is provided with a handle 33, by means of which it may be readily withdrawn from the chest.

The chest, as has been described, is provided for lowering the temperature of fluids con tained in caps or bags which are to be used for lowering the temperature at parts of the human body. These caps or bags are shown disposed on the screen member 31 in Figure 4 of the drawings, the caps or bags being referred to by the reference character 34. These caps or bags 34 are hollow and contained therein there is a fluid which solidifies only at a very low temperature. This fluid may be brine or any other similar fluid.

It will be understood that with the chest constructed as has been described and with the caps or bags 34 disposed on the screen members 31 of the drawers and with the doors 27 closed, a refrigerating agent may flow through the pipe 21 and the coils 23 of the pipe, the said refrigerating agent serving to lower the temperature adjacent the caps or bags 34 which will lower the temperature of the fluid contained in the caps or bags below 32 degrees without solidifying the fluid contained in the caps or bags 34. When a physician desires to use one or more of the caps or bags 34, one of the doors 27 of the chest is opened, one or more drawers ar J withdrawn and the desired number of caps or bags are removed, after which the drawers are returned to normal position within the chest and the doors are closed.

As will be seen by referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, an insulating partition 35 is disposed between the upper group and the lower group of frames 13, the pipe 21 extending through apertures in the said partition. With this construction. warm air will not reach one group of frames 13 when the door is opened to obtain access to a drawer 26 on a frame of the other group.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a chest with an opening, a door for closing the opening, an open frame in the chest behind the opening and having side walls with two horizontal flanges, one spaced above the other and extending inwardly from the side walls, a pipe disposed between the flanges and supported on the lower flange and a drawer disposed on the upper flange and being removable through the opening, the drawer having horizontal members spaced apart for supporting a bag, the horizontal members permitting air to circulate vertically through the drawer.

2. In a device of the class described, a chest with an opening, a door for closing the opening, a plurality of horizontal open frames spaced apart one above another in the chest behind the opening therein, each frame having side walls and two horizontal flanges, one spaced above the other and extending inwardly from the side walls, a pipe having a plurality of coils with the coils disposed on the lower flanges respectively and a plurality of drawers disposed on the upper flanges respectively, each drawer having horizontal members spaced apart for supporting bags, the horizontal members permitting air to circulate vertically through the drawers.

3. In a device of the class described, a chest with an opening, a door for closing the opening, a plurality of frames providing horizontal flanges spaced apart one above another in the chest behind the opening therein, means to support the frames relatively to each other, a pipe having a plurality of coils with the coils disposed on alternate flanges respectively and drawers removable through the opening and normally disposed on the other flanges respectively.

4. In a device of the class described, a chest with an opening, a door for closing the opening, a plurality of frames providing horizontal flanges spaced apart one above another in the chest behind the opening therein, means to support the frames relatively to each other, a pipe having a plurality of coils with the coils disposed on alternate flanges respectively and drawers removable through the opening and normally disposed on the otherflanges respectively, each of the drawers having an open bottom and horizontal members spaced apart for supporting bags, the horizontal members permitting air to circulate vertically through the drawers.

5. In a device of the class described, a chest with an opening, a door for closing the opening, a plurality of frames providing horizontal flanges spaced apart one above another in the chest behind the opening therein, laterally extending means for supporting the frames at the sides of the chest, the chest having two apertures, a pipe extending through the apertures and having within the chest a plurality of coils disposed on alternate flanges and a plurality of drawers disposed on the other flanges for removal through the opening.

6. In a device of the class described, a chest having an opening. a door for closing the opening, two horizontal open members disposed in the chest, one above the other behind the opening, a pipe havin a coil disposed on one of the members and a drawer disposed on the other member for removal through the opening, the drawer being open at its sides and an open bottom across which are disposed supporting members spaced apart.

ARTURO GONZALEZ.

JosE M. GONZALEZ. 

